Steve "Air" McNair was found dead yesterday on the 4th of July holiday. A tragic (yet unnecessary) end to the life of a great athlete - which can only be a devastating blow to his wife of 12 years and their four children. I'm not going to pile on like a lot of other folks have about the fact that his infidelity led to his demise. Some have even said it was deserved. I'm not God and really have no interest (right this moment) in playing judge and jury.
I'm going to choose to focus on the fact that McNair helped show that you don't need to play on a big stage to be a great player. The QB from Alcorn State (HBCU in the SWAC in Lorman, MS) set two NCAA records that still remain today - 1st in career yards per game (400.5/gm) and 1st in season yards per game (527.2) and is 2nd in career yards (16,823) and 3rd in season yards (5,799). He finished 3rd in Heisman balloting his senior year and went on to be the 3rd pick in the '95 NFL draft. (Sidenote: he was also chosen in by the Mariners in the 35th round of the '91 MLB draft.)
My condolences to the McNair family...
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